The Salvation Army highlighted in Prince of Wales documentary

A TV documentary following the work of Prince William’s programme, Homewards, which aims to demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness, will highlight the success of The Salvation Army’s Housing First service in Cardiff. 

'Prince William: We Can End Homelessness' was filmed over 12 months following the first year of the Prince of Wales and The Royal Foundation's programme, Homewards.

In one scene, Prince William meets Wayne from Cardiff at Windsor, who was homeless for 20 years before he encountered The Salvation Army’s Housing First service. It was Housing First that helped Wayne make huge changes in his life.

Since he was 15-years-old, Wayne had been homeless on and off and struggled with his mental health and addiction to alcohol and drugs.

Jemma Jones, Housing First Programme Manager, worked closely with Wayne and both were interviewed for the documentary.  

Jemma said: “I was able to give an honest insight into the wonderful work of our Housing First project and wave the flag for The Salvation Army and the hard work all our staff do. It was a special moment meeting The Prince with Wayne at Windsor Castle to share the incredible journey we as a team have been lucky to witness. I will remember that day forever.” 

The Housing First Model supports people who have had unstable accommodation or been sleeping rough for many years to have a proper home of their own and rebuild their lives. The idea is that having a safe and stable home allows people to deal with experiences that led to them facing homelessness in the first place such as mental health issues, addiction or trauma. More information on Housing First is available on The Salvation Army’s website. 

The two-part series 'Prince William: We Can End Homelessness' starts on  ITV1 on Wednesday 30 October and is available on catch-up on ITVX.